Darian Hall says he pays nearly $90 a day in leasing fees just to drive for Kansas City’s taxpayer-funded IRIS rideshare service.
That’s just one fee among many. zTrip—who oversees the IRIS rideshare service—also takes money for insurance, car washes, tablet rentals, and even charges drivers for the privilege of getting paid. When Hall works more than 40 hours a week, the company also doesn’t pay him overtime since the company classifies drivers as independent contractors.
As a result of the lost wages, Hall says he has been donating plasma for over a year to supplement his income.
“I work long hours, often over 40 in a week, yet I still can’t save the money I thought I would be able to,” says Hall. “I even have to pay a so-called ‘voucher processing’ fee, meaning I’m handing over a portion of my pay just to get paid.”
Hall and fellow driver Abubakar Mohamed filed a federal class action lawsuit last week. They claim zTrip systematically stole overtime wages from IRIS drivers while burying them under predatory fees — all while collecting millions in taxpayer dollars to operate the city-subsidized service.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, seeks to represent all IRIS drivers who worked for the company over the past three years. It alleges zTrip violated federal and state labor laws by treating drivers like employees while calling them independent contractors to avoid paying overtime.
Taxpayer Money, Alleged Worker Exploitation
IRIS is largely funded and led by the City of Kansas City, which contracts with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority to manage the service that is administered by zTrip. The program costs about $7.6 million annually in public funds.
“Our tax dollars have been used to create a system that exploits workers,” says Donna Simon, Bishop-elect of the Central States Lutheran Synod.
The drivers’ fight comes as IRIS faces an uncertain future. The program is currently funded only through September, and city leaders continue debating whether to maintain the service or redirect money to bus routes.
Simon urged officials to either bring IRIS in-house or find a contractor that respects workers’ rights.
IRIS provides about 24,600 trips per month compared to over 1 million monthly bus trips. But for many residents in underserved areas, it’s their only reliable transportation to work.
zTrip CEO Bill George previously told the Kansas City Star that drivers average over $29 per hour after fees. But one driver whose pay stub George displayed told the newspaper his actual hourly wage was $14-15 after deductions.
Hall has driven for IRIS since 2023. He was drawn by promises that he could be his own boss while earning substantial income.
The Promise vs. Reality
IRIS launched in 2023 to serve KC-area neighborhoods where buses don’t reach. At recruitment meetings, zTrip promised drivers they could earn $60,000 to $200,000 yearly as their own bosses.
“zTrip told me during a recruitment meeting that driving for them was an opportunity to make as much money as I could want,” says Hall. “How can I say no to that?”
Mohamed, who drove for IRIS for over a year as his family’s sole breadwinner, heard similar promises. Recruiters told him drivers could make up to $100,000 annually and he could be his own boss.
“Who wouldn’t want that?” Mohamed said. “Like many other drivers, I was sold.”
Reality proved different. The driver’s lawsuit says zTrip controlled when drivers worked, where they went, even when they could use the bathroom. The company set schedules, assigned rides, and disciplined workers who didn’t follow their directives.
“To say that zTrip misled me is an understatement,” says Hall.
Hall quickly learned his schedule was “locked in and outside” his control. He couldn’t leave early for a child’s game or take time off for a doctor’s visit. This is in contrast to Uber and Lyft drivers who can choose when and where to work.
Debt by a Thousand Fees
The fees come from everywhere. zTrip charges drivers $25 weekly for insurance on company vehicles. It deducted daily lease fees for those same cars. Drivers paid for tablet rentals, car washes, and cellular data.
The company took a 5% “voucher processing fee” from each paycheck. It automatically deducted $50 if drivers clocked in even minutes late. Attorneys representing the drivers believe they may find even more fees as the lawsuit moves it’s way through court.
Hall says his daily vehicle lease fee alone costs nearly $90, even when taking a day off. Between all the deductions and working long hours for straight-time pay, he struggles to cover basic expenses.
“It’s a struggle trying to pay the rent, bills and groceries, especially since I have a couple of teenage boys I help take care of,” says Hall. “After paying for all that, there’s nothing left to cover the cost of our health care.”
Mohamed found himself working 10 to 12-hour shifts six days a week, often logging 65 hours weekly. As a one-income household, his wife and children depended on him for stability.
“I had to work up to 65 hours a week because otherwise I’m in debt every month,” says Mohamed. “Despite feeling like I’m working two jobs, I was trapped, and I am still trapped in a cycle of debt.”
Mohamed quit driving with zTrip and ISIS several weeks ago, but said even doing that required paying several large fees to leave the company.
“A lot of drivers end up with no other options,” says Mohamed. “If you want to leave you have to pay all these predatory fees just to turn in the vehicle and that dissuades a lot of employees from leaving the job.”
No Overtime, No Options
Federal law requires employers to pay time-and-a-half for hours beyond 40 per week. But zTrip classified drivers as independent contractors, claiming it didn’t owe overtime.
The lawsuit argues this violates the law and that zTrip exercises the kind of control that makes drivers employees, not contractors.
The company:
- Sets drivers’ schedules with no flexibility
- Requires workers to accept all ride assignments
- Tracks every movement through GPS
- Demands permission for bathroom and meal breaks
- Disciplines drivers through progressive systems
“Every economic and operational aspect of the relationship was dictated solely by zTrip,” the lawsuit states.
Unlike Uber or Lyft drivers who can decline rides and set hours, IRIS drivers face termination for refusing assignments.
Hall estimates he’s lost thousands in unpaid overtime. For someone already struggling to make ends meet, that money would make a real difference.
“Do you have any idea what a difference even $1,000 in overtime pay each year could make in my family’s life?” says Hall. “It would take away a lot of stress and pressure.”
A Familiar Pattern
This isn’t zTrip’s first time in court over worker rights. Fifteen years ago, the U.S. Department of Labor sued a Kansas City rideshare company with some of the same management. That company was also denying overtime to drivers working municipal contracts.
“Those drivers proved they had a right to overtime,” said attorney Jordan Hoffman Kahle. “IRIS drivers are here to do the same.”
The lawyers call zTrip’s violations willful, given this history. That could mean bigger penalties under federal law.
The lawsuit notes that zTrip was recently valued at $251 million. Hall sees the contrast between company profits and driver struggles.
“zTrip can afford to pay its drivers a dignified wage without running us into the ground,” says Hall.
The Stakes
Through the lawsuit, Mohamed & Hall hope to make right the issues they’ve faced while driving for IRIS, not just for themselves but for all IRIS drivers.
The drivers are seeking:
- Back wages for all hours worked beyond 40 per week
- Return of unlawful fee deductions
- Double damages for willful violations
- Attorney fees and court costs
- An end to the company’s alleged illegal practices
“Throughout our history, greedy corporations have denied workers the most basic protections,” Hall says. “In the 1930s workers went on strike, some even died fighting to win overtime protections in the law.”
The lawsuit represents part of a broader organizing effort. IRIS drivers went public last October with their campaign for better wages and working conditions. Many are trying to form a union.
Hall dreams of someday owning his own home. But under the current system, even that modest goal feels out of reach.
“I’d like to have my own house someday, but it’s hard to even dream of that foundation with the way zTrip treats us,” says Hall.
Now he’s taking his fight to federal court, hoping to break free from a system he says was designed to trap drivers — while taxpayers unknowingly fund their exploitation.
“Today, IRIS drivers are continuing that legacy,” Hall said. “We won’t stop until we win what we are owed and end the company’s abusive practices once and for all.”